Werewolf
This article is about the supernatural creature of legend. For the German terrorist organization "The Werewolves" in The Man With the Iron Heart, see German Freedom Front. Werewolves, also known as lycanthropes, are mythological or folkloric people with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or wolflike creature, either purposely, by using magic, or after being placed under a curse. The medieval English chronicler Gervase of Tilbury associated the transformation with the appearance of the full moon; however, there is evidence that the association existed among the Ancient Greeks, appearing in the writings of Petronius, a Roman chronicler. There were several anti-werewolf panics in Europe during the Middles Ages, often running concurrently with anti-witch hysteria, which lead to the conviction and execution of a number of people for mass murder and other crimes committed while in the form of a wolf. Modern scholarship has posited that werewolves were used as an explanation for serial killers, or that confessed werewolves suffered from mental problems. Others have suggested werewolves as cover for political and religious persecutions. Despite this rich history of lore, most people's conception of werewolves has more to do with their depiction in films. In addition to the full moon, which movies had cemented as a the only "trigger" for the transformation, Hollywood has is also responsible for the idea that werewolves could only be killed by silver, which only first appeared in the 1941 film, The Wolf Man. Werewolf in The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump Lycanthropy was a common ailment in people affected by toxic spell pollution. Werewolf in Clever Rolf Stories The wizard Mebodes surrounded his fortress with werewolves. An accountant known as Clever Rolf figured out how to defeat the werewolves and rescue the Viviane, using silver. Werewolf in Elabon Werewolves were one of many types of werebeast known in the Elabonian Empire. Werewolf in The House of Daniel Werewolves were a common problem in the western United States in the years after the Big Bubble burst. They appeared during the full moon. However, they were vulnerable to silver. In May 1934, the House of Daniel were out and about in Artesia, New Mexico during the full moon when a werewolf charged them. One of their pitchers, Fidgety Frank Carlisle, knew about the silver weakness from a pulp story he had read, and hit the werewolf in the nose with a silver half-dollar, driving it off.The House of Daniel, loc. loc. 2398-2409. Werewolf in "The Man who Came Late" Werewolves were occasionally sighted in the region where Theodo and Alianora lived. Theodo made silver charms to defend against the creatures. Werewolf in "Not All Wolves"' Werewolvism was an involuntary condition brought on by the full moon. At dawn, the individual would revert to human form. While a wolf, the individual retained human intelligence and memory and could refrain from bloody attack on others. If injured, the wound would heal with remarkable speed. The condition would begin expressing itself on the onset of puberty. An adolescent named Dieter, who lived in Cologne, began transforming in early 1176. While he took precautions to isolate himself from others while in wolf-form, one night, he transformed in public, and was pursued by the townfolk, until he was given shelter in the towns Jewish quarter by man named Avram. Werewolf in "The Thing in the Woods" Tim briefly believed that the thing in the woods behind Geoffrey's house was a werewolf. Ultimately, they never figured out what the creature was. Werewolf in Three Men and...Stories A werewolf named Warren Z. Wolfe briefly hunted in the East End of London in the late 19th century. He killed at least one old woman the first night of the harvest moon.Some Time Later: Fantastic Voyages Through Alternate Worlds, pgs. 169, TPB. However, he was confronted and killed in his wolf form the following night while he hunted in Limehouse. His killer, a man named Harris, stabbed Wolfe to death with the silver ferrule of his umbrella.Ibid., pgs. 175-176. See also *Werejaguar, another mythical phenomenon where a human is transformed into a large Carnivoran. References Category:Supernatural Beings Category:The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump Category:Clever Rolf Stories Category:Elabon Category:The House of Daniel Category:The Man who Came Late Category:Not All Wolves Category:The Thing in the Woods Category:Three Men and...Stories